Evaluation of salinity tolerance of pinto bean varieties
Date
2024
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Abstract
Salinity is an abiotic stress restricting agricultural crop production globally, primarily in arid and semi-arid areas. Saline soils are characterized by the accumulation of dissolved salts in the soil solution, which inhibits a plant's ability to absorb water and nutrients. Many crops are affected by high concentrations of salt in the soil. Dry edible pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), very important in human nutrition around the world, are sensitive to salinity, and yield losses can occur in saline soils greater than 2 dS/m. The objective of this study was to assess the salinity tolerance of regular and slow darkening pinto bean varieties by evaluating the effect of different salt types on pinto bean germination, growth, and production. This project included three experiments: germination, greenhouse, and field studies. For the first two experiments, six varieties of pinto beans were evaluated: three slow-darkening pinto beans (Gleam, Mystic, Lumen) and three regular pinto beans (Othello, Cowboy, SV6139). In the germination experiment, treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with five replications, three saline solutions (NaCl, CaCl2, MgSO4.7H2O (MgSO4)), and control (distilled water) at 0.05 M, 0.1 M, and 0.15 M concentrations for each salt. For the greenhouse experiment, saline solutions with the same electrical conductivity (ECe) (dS/m), control (distilled water) and the six pinto bean varieties were organized in a Complete Random Design (CRD) with 10 replicates. The field experiment was an observational study where six pinto bean varieties: three slow-darkening pinto beans (Gleam, Mystic, Vibrant) and three regular pinto beans (Othello, Cowboy, SV6139) were planted in a field with a subsurface irrigation system to correlate yield to ECe for each variety. The results demonstrated that germination percentage, speed of germination and hypocotyl length decreased as the salt concentrations increased. Othello's vegetative and reproductive parameters were significantly higher compared to the other varieties in the greenhouse under the saline conditions. There was no significant correlation between yield and ECe in the field experiment. Results indicated that Othello's early maturity may have enabled it to perform better under salt stress conditions than the other tested varieties.
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Embargo expires: 08/16/2025.
Subject
germination
salinity
yield
pulse crop
EC
salt concentration